International

How A Chanel Bag Is Made

Chanel is synonymous with timelessness. The brand’s coveted 2.55 bag (which is in fact its “date of birth”, February, 1955) continues to gain popularity for its classic design and longevity. Many people’s handbag collections have sprinklings of Chanel accessories from decades ago that never seem to age.

Mademoiselle Chanel designed her accessories to be both practical and sensible. To her, the accessories signified true emblem of luxury and elegance. This remains true to this day with Karl Lagerfeld at the helm of the brand.

When Coco Chanel began to design the classic bag, she strove for functionality. For this reason, the bag showcases a double flap with has a zip-fastened pocket inside it, intended as a secret place for storing a love letter or blank notes. On the inside of the bag there are three bellow pockets, also meant to store a lady’s necessities like lipstick.

Coco also insisted that the bag had to have body, which is why we see the quilted diamond shaped pattern that adds volume to the shape. The garnet colored lining matches the color of the uniform she wore in the orphanage, while the double C is stitched like a coat of arms. The iconic rectangular clasp that is gilted with gold, the famous leather and chain shoulder strap had never been seen on a handbag before Coco Chanel added them.

If you are in the Beverly Hills area, make sure to stop by the 400 North Rodeo Drive Boutique on Saturday, May 7 from 10-6 and Sunday, May 8 from 12-5 for the Secrets of the Handbag event.

Beautiful~
I’d kill for the alligator version in the pictures…love the color~~~~
if only i could afford one~! –;

Lisa

It’s fascinating to see how predecessors make their handbags.

@ecstewart

Lori dougherty

Love Chanel bags! Loved reading about hoe they make their bags. Thank you

Jessica Sun

Now I believed the value is worth, It is really difficult to made and the detail is so unbelivable. I am so regrat that I should start to invest when i was started work.

Marci

Thanks for those great pictures. I bought my first Chanel 2.55 in the 90s on sale at Neiman Marcus and I thought it was so expensive – $700. I recently gave it to my daughter, it’s still looks perfect. Then about 10 yrs ago I bought a black Jumbo 2.55 on ebay for under $500. A girl from Orange Co, Ca was selling her Mother’s bags and it came with the original box. I still use that bag, These bags are classics that never go out of style. The older bags use the lambskin leather which are softer than the newer ones. It’s harder today to find the bargains but keep looking – you never know what you’ll find.

annika

And that’s what I’m planning of doing, too, Marci! This Chanel 2.55 bag will be for my daughter when I pass on or when I can afford another Chanel purse. :) It’s really timeless.

i think fashion

its really interesting to knw !

Chicky

So exciting to see how that bag is made. I have the same style in silver. Impeccably crafted!!!

rose60610

Interesting. How did you obtain the pictures? Coco was a remarkable lady and the books about her are fascinating. Buying a Chanel is like buying a piece of history, or at least that’s what I tell myself as I gulp at the prices.

http://www.purseblog.com/ Megs Mahoney Dusil

These photos were sent to us from Chanel directly

suz

Really interesting. It sort of gives you an idea why these bags cost so much.

ede

gorgeous! thanks for sharing!

annabelle

now THIS is art!!! <3

Rebeca

ever heard about hermes?

Nat

Always fascinating to see how a Chanel handbag is made!

Lulugurl

Great pictures of the making of a bag! This was such a neat look inside such an iconic brand!!!

Alessia

Really interesting!! That’s why I paid â‚¬ 2450 for my new Chanel bag!! It’s really expensive but it is worth as it is a real timeless chic bag!!
The bag in your pictures is really chic and trendy, great post!!

MsLabelsOfLust

TDF! I see why they cost so much now..

Mr. J

People may not agree with me…but after seeing the process of making the bag…it totally turn me away from Chanel…since with the price they are charging now…I would expect it’s hand made instead of machine sewing…but this is only for me!!!

alund

Exactly what I was thinking! Given the price of a Chanel purse, I would have expected it to be hand stitched, just like Hermes. Leads me to conclude, once again, that these purses are super over priced.

UGH YES

agreed!

the fact that they apply the hardware by hand in no way justifies the price.

hmm. i think i might only buy one if it were vintage. and at a more reasonable price.

Ezra

apparently many people still don’t understand the concept of designer products. designer products are like artworks. i can paint the same thing that andy warhol did and no one would probably buy it. why? because they’re buying the profile of the artist and the history that goes with it. same as chanel bags, people dont spend thousands of dollars to simply buy a bag, but they want to buy the brand. the product that was designed by coco chanel. and have the pride of wearing it because it is THAT expensive, not everyone can buy it. thats what it makes it extraordinary. if you want cheap 100% hand stitched bags, my grandma sells them and makes them herself.

Atiqah Erlina

LOL, your comment was so WIN. yes, at the end of the day we buy the brand. XDDD

Anna B

So for the price of a Chanel you expect the quality of Hermes, which costs 4x as much?

theproperorderofthings

Mr. J – You could never achieve the fine execution of a Chanel bag with actual hand-stitching without the bag falling apart. The companies that still use elements of hand stitching have a much bulkier, thicker & tougher, more “heritage” feel – like Hermes or even something super artisanal like Henri Cuir. Most people who aren’t familiar with bag construction don’t understand that handmade can still involve using a machine to stitch – there are varying degrees of machine stitching. Cheap knockoffs and many bags that are made in China for example, are almost entirely machine made, & those machine operators are definitely not what you’d call “artisans”. Bag makers at Chanel’s factories are skilled leatherworking experts and their bags are made using very time consuming expert craftsmanship whether they use a machine or not.

saddlersmith

That is a silly comment, if a bag is properly hand stitched it will never ever fall apart, I could make you a bag and guarantee it for life. Machine stitching is just a way of churning out bags to make more money. There is no craftsmanship gone into making this bag. These bags could be made by anyone who was taught to operate a sewing machine (which believe me anyone can!). I create bespoke, hand stitched timeless classic using centries Old skills (even some of my tools are over a hundred years old!). But unfortunately I could never charge the amount of money to cover the work that is put into them as I don’t have the branding behind me! Believe me I could knock channel out of the water!

Jman

Just put that little “CHANEL” tag on the front of the bag. That seems to bring the price up by a few thousand percent.

Naggie

it’s Chanel not Channel. LOL.

zoe smith

Sorry! Chanel! Damned predictive text! Lol!

Anna B

Well, Hermes Birkins & Kellys are hand stitched and they still fall apart with time and use. You can send them back to have them tightened up, but leather, and the thread, are natural materials that won’t stay stiff and immobile forever. Personally I don’t understand the cult of Chanel because their products are very nice, but definitely not awe inspiring the way some people talk about them. However, they are made with meticulous care whether machine or hand stitched.

tkellyd

Has anyone even looked at the thickness of the Chanel handbag in the pictures? Not only is it many layered, it looks to be over 1/4″ thick. Try sewing that by hand . . .

Hayleen

you must be retarded.

qudz

wow, that is simply amazing!!

Mochababe73

Frankly, I like the fact that they are machine sewn. It doesn’t take anything away from the bag.
Everything else seems to be done by hand. Trust me, there are plenty of machines that can churn out mediocre bags. These people are even taking the time to screw in the hardware.
Now, if I could just afford one!

ninjaninja

Beautiful color!

The Little Dust Princess

All the work that goes into this is amazing!

Anokah

This is an AMAZING AMAZING article, thank you sooo much for this!!

19yearslater

This is really cool. Chanel bags are gorgeous.

kim

Love the bag, but this exotic one!

Lynda

This was aboslutely amazing to learn! I’m loving the bag too [:

Bir

Beautiful I’m not sure if I like the interior or the exterior more beautiful inside and out!!!!

Christine A.

Wow, that is fantastic craftsmanship!

fuchsiafury

I love this behind-the-scenes look! What wonderful craftsmanship!

KoutureCrochet

I wish I could attend that event! I am in ny but it sounds amazing. I love the workmanship that goes into these bags. Enough chanel is not quite my style, I still admire their beauty!

Great education. I wish that the pictures were in order though. It is like a puzzle trying to figure out which one goes first and which one is next.
Nevertheless it shows a great bag with many clever compartments, and the gold color is to die for.

http://www.purseblog.com/ Megs Mahoney Dusil

We can try to fix up the order k!

givemedesigners

Gorgeous!! Love how it’s all handmade down to very last stitching!

Leah

Seriously!! Ugh so amazing.. I don’t know if I can interrupt mother’s day for it however :(

Loved the photos. I own Chanel bags and never gave it a thought as to how the bags were made. Now I know. Thank you for posting the photos & information. I sincerely appreciate it.

cristina

I bought my first Chanel bag when I was 18 years old (I’m now 49). Since then, I have bought 9 more but my first Chanel bag looks like I bought yesterday: timeless. My daughter can’t wait to have one of them someday!!!

Gorgeous! Will you please share more info and details on the event this wkd in BH? Thanks!

Donna Baker

FYI – my friend just dropped 2800euros on a vintage 1970’s classic black Chanel bag in Paris. The vintage ones are not cheap.

mangiapeach

Come to FIT’s Accessory Design Department – we teach how to design and to make bags just like this and more…

Kabudiharto

I love this article

lucy

I totally get the comments posted by Mr. J and alund, but keep in mind that a flap maxi is $4K (with a price increase coming on June 1 ), but an Hermes Birkin starts at about $10K. So while you are paying a lot for “machine stitching,” in the world of fabulously expensive handmade luxury bags, there’s a big difference still between the price of hand stitching versus machine stitching. And given how much of the Chanel IS done by hand, it’s still (to me, anyway) a bag that’s worth what it costs.

seedlessplum

I wished they wore gloves when making the precious purse. But why aint they?

What do you exactly mean by that? Are you referring to the women here who brag about owning a CHANEL handbag?

jLoS

Does Chanel use REAL Lambskin?? As in slaughter the poor creature in order to make these bags?!?!

New

Yes. Are you judging the people who buy these bags because if you are I hope your a veggie who dosnt wear leather shoes.

Dani

please stop with this bullshit comments.. they? don’t kill animals for the bags.. the leather industry reuses the skins from the animals bred for the meat industry..

if there would not be tanneries, we would be covered in tones of putrified shit all over the place.

Anna B

That’s a very rosy view of the world, but in reality that isn’t always true. Certainly not for exotic skins like ostrich & crocodile.

Sneez72003

Thank you really cool. I really love Chanel!

Val

Saddlersmith, what price would you charge to make a bag that knocks Chanel out of the water? I love hand-crafted items…and I have the perfect idea in mind. THANKS!

easonvae

:-D

easonvae

:-D

Jman

I like how they use tools and equipment that show NO wear. Makes you think if these pictures were taken just for publicity while the sweatshops in Indonesia pull another 36-hour day.

Jman

At the end of the day, you’re paying multiple thousands of dollars for not even 1% of that cost in materials and cheap labor, because “COCO CHANEL” is on the front of the bag.

Go to A-N-Y store that isn’t in or around Times Square, and get a handbag that’ll last years for $50. This consumerism society is disgusting when people would spend THAT much on a place to put random shit to carry around with them.

melrosemiss

I would love to know if it is possible to sew a version of this at home, in leather.

shazokhan

did chanel ever use plastic in the interiors of vintage bags.

http://fashiondacci.blogspot.com/ fashiondacci

i was searching this article because i remembered i read an article regarding how many hours does it really take to make a 2.55 also with details about another designer labels as well.

Realist

Why u guys care about how it’s made? U just want a expensive bag with some show off brand. There is no way to justify the price by how it’s made or of the matrial. Who believes that is just stupid.
If they make the price tag more expensive… More rich people will buy it. Only the price tag counts… 99 percent of u don’t care about the rest. The price makes the bag for ur society.

Realist

The operator of this page is deleting posts which tells the truth. I would think twice believing anything on this page here. Seems this place is far away of being part of freedom of speech. And u can only find half the truth. Same like propaganda does Be aware!